Why do you read?

It might be for entertainment, or a diversion. Or it might be because you want some ideas about how to do things differently.

If you’re interested in doing things differently, you have to ask yourself: do I want just to be exposed to new ideas, or do I actually want to act differently (today, someday)?

If it’s about acting differently, what will it take to get you there?

It’s probably been two years since I read Seth Godin’s missive on Really Bad Powerpoint, and I’ve been carrying around his maxim of “No more than 6 words on a slide. EVER. ” since then. I’ve also made a million excuses why this is a nice idea but it’s not realistic; why it doesn’t apply to my own storytelling. Or I’ve said, “6 words per slide is a nice idea, but what he really means is fewer words per slide. I can hack that.” That’s a cop out.

Tomorrow, in a big, very visible, very important meeting, I’m giving a presentation that has 17 slides and 51 words. I’m giving it a shot.

But are you stuck thinking “this idea might be interesting someday” or are you actually doing things differently?

Sometimes it takes a few tries to get there. It took me more than two years to take the plunge on my next PowerPoint. But you should be honest with yourself and ask if you’re reading as a passive observer or as someone who is going to act.